HOUSTON -- Some Houston physicians are offering a new type of blood bank account -- for a newborn's umbilical cord blood.

Kara Richardson is nine-months pregnant. She decided to save her unborn child's umbilical cord blood.

"Better to have it and never need it than to never have done it and then need it down the line," Richardson said.

Her doctor's office -- Obstetrical and Gynecological Associates, P.A. in Houston teamed up with Viacord, a blood banking service that preserves stem cells from the umbilical cord.

"Fetal stem cells coming from the baby's cord blood are an ideal transplant mechanism for any member of that particular family. And in many, many diseases, I think it's up to the mid-40s, the number of diseases that can be treated by these stem cells," said Dr. John Irwin, with Obstetrical and Gynecological Associates.

Stem cells are valuable because they have the ability to turn into other cells in the body.

In the future, researchers think these cells may be used to grow everything from new tissue to new organs.

For the person banking the cells, that means perfect tissue or organ matches without anti-rejection drugs, according to doctors.

Richardson said that banking her newborn's stem cells is just an additional health insurance policy.

"I think that anything you can do to help your child or to help the siblings that we may have in the future for this child -- that's just invaluable," Richardson said.

Banking the umbilical cord blood will cost about $1,500, which includes testing and the first year's storage fee.

After that, the storage fee costs $95 a year.

For more information, call OGA at (713) 512-7000 or visit www.obgynassociates.com.